The way Salomon “Samy” and Amy Bouzaglo acted during the season-finale episode of Fox’s “Kitchen Nightmares” was a big enough public-relations mess. But all the post-show insults posted online — whether authentic or not — turned an ugly situation into a social-media disaster that could have been prevented.

On the show, which aired Friday, the Bouzaglos, owners of Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, are seen yelling at and pushing customers. Patrons are unaware that the tips they leave for the servers end up with the owners. The couple refuse to listen to chef Gordon Ramsay’s criticism, prompting him to walk away from the restaurant before his job was done, a first for the British host, who has a surly reputation himself.

What happened on social media after the show aired elevated the restaurant’s problems to a full-blown crisis.

Thousands of people from across the country took to Yelp, Facebook, Reddit and other user-driven websites to voice their disgust with the owners.

A social-media poster claiming to be the Bouzaglos retaliated, spewing obscenities and vowing legal recourse. Buzzfeed called it “the most epic brand meltdown on Facebook ever.” Yahoo, Forbes, the Daily Beast, E! Online and Huffington Post all had stories on the Bouzaglos, who have since claimed their website and all of their social-media accounts were hacked.

The Scottsdale Police Department confirmed “a report for computer tampering” was taken Tuesday at the restaurant’s address, 7366 E. Shea Blvd., and that the investigation is ongoing.

Public-relations agencies such as MMPR Marketing and Salt represent several Valley restaurants. Dealing with negative comments comes with the territory when you’re in the food-service business, so knowing how to handle public attacks — fair or not — is paramount.

In fact, MMPR said, let the customer know how much you appreciate their feedback and acknowledge their grievance. Extend an olive branch with a personal invitation that makes the customer feel valued.

“It’s almost never personal,” added Ty Largo, Salt’s creative director and owner. “Despite your sore feelings about receiving public criticism online, the commenter is not plotting to shut you down. Address their issue and fix it if needed, and then kill them with kindness. Other viewers will see your great, responsive customer service.”

Also, assume any statement you make on social media is permanent, he said. “Chances are, someone has already taken a screenshot of it before you removed it.”

Although there is no magic bullet, MMPR said that in Amy’s case, crisis management should have been implemented two years ago, when she first made headlines for calling a Yelp reviewer a moron online.

MMPR recommends taking the conversation to a private forum. Solicit a contact number or e-mail address and handle things one-on-one. Professionalism and passion finding common ground is the desired strategy.

At this point, though, the drama may even reach the president. A person in Dacono, Colo., started a petition on the White House website titled “Have Amy Bouzaglo Committed.” It had several hundred signatures in a few hours. (If it reaches 100,000, the petition would be reviewed by the Obama administration, and a response would be issued.)

A second petition was filed Wednesday on Change.org, asking the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate whether the Bouzaglos took tips from servers. The owners have justified taking tips, saying they pay servers $8 to $14 an hour.

Repeated e-mail requests to the Bouzaglos for comment have gone unanswered since Friday night. The phone number listed for the restaurant says the mailbox is full.

Makeover shows like “Kitchen Nightmares” can bring on good publicity or bad publicity. When it’s the latter, the scrutiny can uncover past troubles. Such is the case with Amy, who in 2003 pleaded guilty to the misuse of a Social Security number after she applied for a $15,000 bank loan. At the time, her name was Amanda Bossingham (her ex-husband’s last name). She married Samy Bouzaglo in January 2004. She surrendered to federal authorities and entered prison in late 2008. She was released in October 2009.

The Bouzaglos might not have been able to turn around some sore customers. When that happens, Largo said, “Do your best to communicate positive vibes, great service and extend an invitation to come back. Then let the public decide who conducted themselves respectfully and responsively.”

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